Roller clutch



W. MILLER ROLLER CLUTCH May 27, 1930.

Original Filed Feb. 3, 1927 hvenforr. Will m Mil/er:

Patented May 27, 19359 PATENT *EQFFICE. i

WILLIAM Mitten, or nuns'roiv-on-rvnn, ENGLAND ROLLER CLUTCH Originalapplication filed February 3, 1927, Serial No. 165,668, and in GreatBritain February 17, 1926.

Divided and this application filed .Tune 21, 1928.

This invention relates to roller clutches and 1s a d1v1s1on of my priorapphcation Serial No. 165,668, filed February 3rd, 1927,

1 is moved a virtual toggle action occurs between the rollers and clutchmembers, with a consequent effective engagement.

The object of the invention is to provide a modified form of clutchwhich may be made to operate in either direction without throwing any ofthe elements out of action.

The working faces of the clutch members are parallel, and in the presentinvention the cam or wedge surface is in the form of a separate wedgemember having two wedging surfaces disposed reversely to one another,this wedge member being movable with its respective roller unit, but atthe same time capable of a small movement relatively to the latter ineither direction. The said wedge member is preferably spring pressedagainst its adjacent roller in order to obviate play between themembers, and means are provided to cause one or the other of its wedgesurfaces to be operative, according as the clutching action is to takeplace in one or the other direction.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a form of reversinclutch according to the present invention adapted for use with a swashplate variable gear, a pair of clutches being employed.

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a development showing the ar rangement of the wedges andcontrol of the clutch shown in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the draw- Serial No. 287,232.

ing, l indicates theroller-carrying member of the clutch, which takesthe form-of; an annulus, and 2 tl erother clutch member which is of-channe l-sect1on; the member 1 being adapted to oscillate in thechannel, the side 5 walls of which constitute a pair of spaced,-concentric flanges. Pairs of circumferentially-contacting'rollers 3 and4 are positioned in radial slots or cavities 1 formed in theroller-carrying member 1 each outer roller 3 contacting with adouble-acting wedge 5 having the neutral portions of its'cam surfaces inthe middle,'the said surfaces sloping symmetrically on either side ofthe mid-portion towards the axisaof the clutch mecha- .nism. The ends ofthe wedgesare slotted to receive abutments 6 on the reversing or controlring 7. Each of said abutinents is slotted, as shown, to receive aspring 8 the ends of-which fit into cups 9 which abut against the ends 66 (Fig. 8) of the slot and against the ends of adjacent wedges. Inthisform, movement of the reversing ring 7 to one position has theeffect of compressing each of the springs 8 between one of the ends I ofa, wedge 5 and one-of the'abutments 6 6",

so that the wedges tend tomove in the one direction when free, Whilemovement of the said ring to the other position compresses the springsbetween the other ends of the wedges and the. other of the abutments 6',6*, so that the wedges tend to move in the opposite direction when free.Thus the single clutch mechanism is rendered reversible withoutrendering anyof the members inoperative. 55 According to the arrangementshown in Figs. 1 and 2, a pair of such clutches may be combined, theiiiembers 1 being rigidly connect'edto a soclret member 1 which isconnected by a connecting rod to the variable gear. I

' The control rings 7 1' are so disposed that when one of them is inno-drive position, the other is in driving position. A diagonal grooveis formed in each of the control rings at'T, 7, with which a diagonalcam member '10 engages. The sa d cam member 10 1s rigid with a groovedsegmental member 11 mounted on pins 11 11 to slide in eyes formed inlugs 1? on the driving member 1. A slipper 10c 12 pivotally mounted on alever arm 13 (Fig. the wedge-moving means comprises a revers- 1) engagesin the groove of the segment 11. mg ring. The arm 13 is mounted on or isintegral with In witness whereof I have slgned thls specla shaft 14supported in the casing 15 of the gear mechanism (not shown), the saidshaft being connected by suitable linkage mechanism to a lever adjacentthe operators position.

It will be seen that movement of the reversing lever'will cause the arm13, slipper 12 and, with them, the cam 10 to move transversely to theclutch, so that the control rings are moved angularly relatively to theclutch driving member 1.

I claim:

1. A roller clutch comprising two members, an even number ofcircumferentially contacting rolling elements arranged in one of saidmembers substantially transverse to the direction of movement of theclutch members, a pair of flanges on the other clutch member, saidflanges embracing the outer of said rolling elements, wedges cooperatingwith said rolling elements, each of said wedges having oppositelydisposed wedge faces and a neutral portion, and means for moving thewedges relatively to the said rollers so that the latter may be made toengageveither wedge face according to the direction in which the drivenclutchmember is to operate,

2. A clutch comprising a disc having two concentric flanges thereon, anannulus disposed between said flanges and having a plurality ofsubstantially-radial cavities therein, an even number ofcircumferentially-conwedges adapted to slide between one of the discflanges and the annulus, each of which wedges has its inclined faceadapted to abut against one of the rolling elements in one of saidcavities, and means for controlling said wedges so as to change theoperation of the clutch.

3. A clutch according to claim 2 wherein the wedges are slotted at theirends, a control ring normally movable with the wedges, slotted abutmentson said control ring said abutments being adapted to engage in the slotsin the wedges, springs in the abutment slots having their ends adaptedto abut against the ends of the wedges, and means for imparting movementto the said ring to move the wedges relatively to their rollingelements.

4. A clutch according to claim 1 wherein the neutral portion of thewedge surfaces of a wedge are in the middle of the wedge.

5. A clutch according to claim 1 wherein the neutral portion of thewedge surfaces of a wedge is in the middle of the wedge and slopessymmetrically on each side towards the axis of the clutch mechanism.

6. A clutch according to claim 1, in which fication.

WILLIAM MILLER.

